CN110536378A - It is a kind of for sending the method, equipment and storage medium of data - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for sending data executed at a first node, including: receiving downlink data to be sent to a user equipment UE in an unconnected state; and determining whether to buffer the downlink data. The method further includes when determining to cache the downlink data: if the first node is a node of the first type, determining not to initiate a paging process for the UE in the unconnected state, or if the first node is The second type node notifies the second node that the downlink data has been buffered, so that the second node determines not to initiate a paging process for the UE in the unconnected state. The method performed at the second node and its corresponding device and storage medium are also provided.

Description

A method, device and storage medium for sending data

technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of mobile communication, in particular, to a method, device and storage medium for sending data.

Background technique

As a new generation of mobile communication system, the 5G communication system includes various network elements. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system architecture in a 5G communication system. As shown in Figure 1, the network elements in the 5G communication system can be divided into user equipment (UE), access node (AN), access mobility management function entity (AMF), and session management function entity (SMF) according to the tasks they undertake. , User Plane Functional Entity (UPF) and other different types.

After the UE enters the CM-IDLE state, when the UPF receives downlink data for the UE, the UPF sends a downlink data notification (DDN) to the SMF, expecting the UE to re-establish the user plane. The SMF then notifies the AMF, and the AMF initiates a paging process to the AN. After receiving the paging signaling, the UE returns to the CM-CONNECTED state, and resumes the user plane function with the UPF to receive data.

If the UE enters the CM-IDLE state, the SMF can instruct the UPF to temporarily buffer the data on the UPF after receiving the DDN (the UE is not expected to rebuild the plane), and at the same time not to send the DDN to the SMF. SMF can also determine the length of data cache or the number of cached data packets.

When the UE enters the RRC-INACTIVE state and the AN receives the downlink data of the UE, the AN initiates the RAN paging process. After receiving the paging signaling, the UE returns to the RRC-CONNECTED state, and restores the wireless link with the AN to receive downlink data.

The above procedure may lead to frequent wake-up of the UE entering the non-connected state (e.g. CM-IDLE state or RRC-INACTIVE state) by paging signaling (e.g. paging or RAN paging) to re-enter the connected state (e.g. CM-CONNECTED state or The RRC-CONNECTED state causes a large amount of UE power consumption.

Therefore, there is a need for a solution capable of reducing the number of times the UE is paged, so as to at least partly solve the above-mentioned problems.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve at least some of the above problems, embodiments of the present invention propose a device and a method for sending signals.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for sending data performed at a first node, comprising:

receiving downlink data to be sent to a user equipment UE in a non-connected state;

determining whether to cache the downlink data; and

When it is determined to cache the downlink data:

If the first node is a node of the first type, determining not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state, or

If the first node is a node of the second type, notify the second node that the downlink data has been buffered, so that the second node determines not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state.

In some embodiments, determining whether to cache the downlink data may include: determining whether to cache the downlink data based on the priority of the downlink data. Wherein, if the downlink data is high-priority data, it is determined not to cache but to send the downlink data immediately, and if the downlink data is not high-priority data, it is determined to cache the downlink data.

In some embodiments, the method may further include: based on the occurrence of a predefined event, determining to send the buffered data to the UE in the non-connected state. Wherein, the predefined event includes at least one of the following: the UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes immediate transmission, the predefined timer expires, and the predefined buffer data upper limit is reached.

In some embodiments, if the first node is a node of the first type, after determining that the downlink data is to be cached, the first node may further notify the second node that the downlink data has been cached.

In some embodiments, the notification to the second node may carry an information element indicating that the first node caches data.

In some embodiments, notifying the second node that the downlink data has been cached may include: sending a message carrying an information element indicating that the first node caches data to a third node, so that the third node sends the The second node notifies the first node to cache data.

In some embodiments, the first type of node may be an access node AN, the second type of node may be a user plane function entity UPF, the second node may be an access mobility management function entity AMF, the The third node may be a session management function entity SMF.

In some embodiments, the UE actively returning to the connected state may include the UE performing a registration area update. In this case, the method may further comprise assisting in establishing a user plane session between the UE and the updated registration area to enable transmission of buffered data using the established user plane session.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for sending data performed at a second node, comprising:

A notification indicating that downlink data to be sent to a user equipment UE in a non-connected state has been buffered at the first node is received.

In some embodiments, the method may include:

Based on the notification, it is determined not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state.

In some embodiments, the method may comprise: based on the occurrence of a predefined event, determining to send the buffered data to the UE in the non-connected state. Wherein, the predefined event includes at least one of the following: the UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes immediate transmission, the predefined timer expires, and the predefined buffer data upper limit is reached.

In some embodiments, the notification is received from the first node via a third node, and the method may further include: receiving from the third node a message including a forwarding data channel address indicating the first node Cell message.

In some embodiments, the method may further include: sending to other second nodes a message including an information element indicating that the first node caches data and/or an information element indicating an address of a forwarding data channel of the first node The message is forwarded by the other second node to other third nodes.

In some embodiments, the other second node may be a second node to which the UE is connected when updating the registration area, and the information sent to the other second node includes an information element indicating that the first node caches data The message may be used to trigger the other second node to initiate a packet data unit PDU session context creation process.

In some embodiments, the first node may be a user plane function entity UPF, the second node and the other second nodes may be an access mobility management function entity AMF, and the third node and the other The third node may be a session management function entity SMF.

In some examples, the UE actively returning to the connected state may include the UE performing a registration area update (eg, entering a new registration area). In this case, the method shown in FIG. 2 may further include: assisting in establishing a user plane session between the UE and the updated registration area, so that the buffered data can be sent to the UE by using the established user plane session.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a first node for sending data is provided, including a receiving module, a data buffer determining module, and a paging initiation determining module. The receiving module is used for receiving downlink data to be sent to the user equipment UE in a non-connected state. The data cache determination module is used to determine whether to cache the downlink data. A paging initiation determination module, configured to determine not to initiate a paging process for the UE in the unconnected state if the first node is a first-type node when determining to cache the downlink data, or if the The first node is a node of the second type, and notifies the second node that the downlink data has been cached, and notifies the second node of the caching of the downlink data, so that the second node can determine the The UE does not initiate the paging procedure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a second node for sending data. The second node includes a notification receiving module and a paging initiation determining module. The notification receiving module is configured to receive a notification indicating that the downlink data to be sent to the user equipment UE in the unconnected state has been buffered at the first node.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for sending data, including:

processor; and

A memory configured to store machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform any one of the methods described above.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, on which executable instructions are stored, and when executed by a processor, the processor causes the processor to perform any one of the above methods.

According to the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the first node (for example, UPF or AN) can decide whether to cache the downlink data to be sent to the UE in the unconnected state, and if the downlink data needs to be cached, it can Not initiating paging for the UE can help the UE save power consumption.

Description of drawings

The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system architecture in a 5G communication system.

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a method for sending data performed at a first node according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for sending data performed at a second node according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a first node for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a second node for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show a schematic flowchart of a specific implementation of a method for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B show a schematic flowchart of another specific implementation of the method for sending data according to the embodiment of the present invention.

8A and 8B show a schematic flowchart of another specific implementation of the method for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a block diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings, the same or similar structures are marked with the same or similar reference numerals.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following description is for illustration only, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present disclosure. In other instances, well-known circuits, materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

Throughout this specification, reference to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example," or "an example" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in the present disclosure. In at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," "an example," or "example" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combination and/or subcombination in one or more embodiments or examples. Additionally, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the drawings provided herein are for illustrative purposes and are not necessarily drawn to scale. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a method for sending data performed at a first node according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the method includes operation S210, receiving downlink data to be sent to a user equipment (UE) in a non-connected state.

The non-connected state described herein refers to a state in which the UE has not established a connection with a network device to send a signal, such as a CM-IDLE state, an RRC-INACTIVE state or any other similar state.

In operation S220, it is determined whether to buffer downlink data.

In some examples, this determination can be made based on the priority of the downlink data. In this case, determining whether to cache the downlink data may include: determining whether to cache the downlink data based on the priority of the downlink data. Specifically, if the downlink data is high-priority data, it is determined not to cache but to send the downlink data immediately, and if the downlink data is not high-priority data, it is determined to cache the downlink data. In this paper, the priority of the data may be divided based on any method in the art for dividing high-priority data and low-priority data, which will not be repeated here.

For example, a network node such as UPF can judge the priority of the downlink data, and add an information element "Flow Priority" to the GTP-U data packet header of the downlink data. The UPF may use the Information Element (IE, Information Element) to indicate the importance of the data carried in the data packet to the UE. Therefore, the AN can decide whether to initiate the RAN Paging process immediately according to the information element. It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the determination of whether to buffer downlink data can also be implemented in any other feasible manner (such as but not limited to buffer capacity, data transmission scheduling strategy, etc.).

In operation S230, when determining to cache downlink data: if the first node is a node of the first type, determine not to initiate a paging process for the UE in the unconnected state, or if the first node is a node of the second type, send a message to the second node The buffered downlink data is notified, so that the second node determines not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state.

The above-mentioned notification to the second node may be the information element "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)" or "Access node buffered data indication (AN buffered data indication)" sent in the corresponding message, or any other device that can realize similar functions. message or information, the present invention is not limited by specific implementation forms.

Optionally, the method shown in FIG. 2 may further include: based on the occurrence of a predefined event, determining to send the buffered data to the UE in the non-connected state. Wherein, the predefined event may include but not limited to at least one of the following: the UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes immediate transmission (such as high-priority data for the UE), the predefined timer expires, and The predefined cache data limit has been reached.

In some examples, if the first node is a node of the first type, after determining that the downlink data is to be cached, the first node may further notify the second node of the cached downlink data.

In some examples, the notification to the second node may carry an information element indicating that the first node caches data.

In some examples, notifying the second node of the cached downlink data may include: sending to the third node a message carrying an information element indicating that the first node caches the data, so that the third node notifies the second node that the first node has cached data.

In some examples, the first type of node may be an access node (AN), the second type of node may be a user plane function (UPF), the second node may be an access mobility management function (AMF), and the third node Is the Session Management Function entity (SMF). However, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first type node, the second type node, the second node, and the third node may respectively perform similar functions in the existing communication system or in the future communication system The corresponding nodes of AN, UPF or AMF should not be limited.

In some examples, the UE actively returning to the connected state may include the UE performing a registration area update (eg, entering a new registration area). In this case, the method shown in FIG. 2 may further include: assisting in establishing a user plane session between the UE and the updated registration area; and using the established user plane session to send the buffered data.

Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method for sending data performed at a second node according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the method includes operation S310, receiving a notification indicating that downlink data to be sent to a user equipment (UE) in a non-connected state has been buffered at the first node.

The above-mentioned notification may be the information element "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)", "Access node buffered data indication (AN buffered data indication)" sent in the corresponding message or any message or information that can realize similar functions. Not limited by the specific implementation form.

Optionally, in operation S320, it is determined based on the notification that no paging procedure is initiated for the UE in the non-connected state.

Optionally, the method shown in FIG. 3 may further include: based on the occurrence of a predefined event, determining to send the buffered data to the UE in the non-connected state. Among them, the predefined event may include but not limited to at least one of the following: the UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes immediate transmission (such as high-priority data for the UE), and the predefined timer expires , and the predefined cache data limit has been reached.

In some examples, the notification is received from the first node via a third node, and the method shown in FIG. 3 may further include: receiving a message from the third node including an information element indicating a forwarding data channel address of the first node.

In some examples, the method shown in FIG. 3 may further include: sending to other second nodes a message including an information element indicating the buffer data of the first node and/or a message indicating an information element of the forwarding data channel address of the first node , so as to be forwarded by the other second node to other third nodes.

In some examples, the other second node may be a second node to which the UE is connected when updating the registration area, and the message sent to the other second node including an information element indicating that the first node caches data may be It is used to trigger other second nodes to initiate a packet data unit (PDU) session context creation process.

In some examples, the first node may be a User Plane Function (UPF), the second node and the other second nodes may be an Access Mobility Management Function (AMF), and the third node and the other third node May be a Session Management Function (SMF). However, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the first node, the second node, and the third node may also be corresponding nodes that perform similar functions in an existing communication system or a future communication system, instead of It should be limited to UPF, AMF or SMF.

In some examples, the UE actively returning to the connected state may include the UE performing a registration area update (eg, entering a new registration area). In this case, the method shown in FIG. 2 may further include: assisting in establishing a user plane session between the UE and the updated registration area, so that the buffered data can be sent to the UE by using the established user plane session.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a first node for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4 , the first node may include a receiving module 410 , a data cache determining module 420 and a paging initiation determining module 430 .

The receiving module 410 is configured to receive downlink data to be sent to the user equipment UE in a non-connected state.

The non-connected state described herein refers to a state in which the UE has not established a connection with a network device to send a signal, such as a CM-IDLE state, an RRC-INACTIVE state or any other similar state.

The data cache determination module 420 is used to determine whether to cache downlink data.

In some examples, this determination can be made based on the priority of the downlink data. In this case, determining whether to cache the downlink data may include: determining whether to cache the downlink data based on the priority of the downlink data. Specifically, if the downlink data is high-priority data, it is determined not to cache but to send the downlink data immediately, and if the downlink data is not high-priority data, it is determined to cache the downlink data. In this paper, the priority of the data may be divided based on any method in the art for dividing high-priority data and low-priority data, which will not be repeated here.

For example, a network node such as UPF may determine the priority of the downlink data, and may add an information element "Flow Priority" to the GTP-U data packet header of the downlink data. The UPF may use the information element to indicate the importance of the data carried in the data packet to the UE. Therefore, the AN can decide whether to initiate the RANPaging process immediately according to the information element. It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the determination of whether to buffer downlink data can also be implemented in any other feasible manner (such as but not limited to buffer capacity, data transmission scheduling strategy, etc.).

The paging initiation determination module 430 is configured to determine that the downlink data is to be buffered: if the first node is a node of the first type, determine not to initiate a paging process for the UE in the unconnected state, or if the first node is a node of the first type The second type node notifies the second node of the buffered downlink data, so that the second node determines not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state.

The above-mentioned notification to the second node may be the information element "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)" or "Access node buffered data indication (AN buffered data indication)" sent in the corresponding message, or any other device that can realize similar functions. message or information, the present invention is not limited by specific implementation forms.

Optionally, the paging initiation determining module 430 is further configured to: determine to send the buffered data to the UE in the non-connected state based on the occurrence of a predefined event. Wherein, the predefined event may include but not limited to at least one of the following: the UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes immediate transmission (such as high-priority data for the UE), the predefined timer expires, and The predefined cache data limit has been reached.

In some examples, if the first node is a node of the first type, after it is determined that the downlink data is to be cached, the sending module 450 may also be used to notify the second node of the cached downlink data.

In some examples, the notification to the second node may carry an information element indicating that the first node caches data.

In some examples, the sending module 450 may be configured to: send a message carrying an information element indicating that the first node caches data to the third node, so that the third node notifies the second node that the first node caches the data.

In some examples, the first type of node may be an access node (AN), the second type of node may be a user plane function (UPF), the second node may be an access mobility management function (AMF), and the third node Is the Session Management Function entity (SMF). However, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first type node, the second type node, the second node, and the third node may respectively perform similar functions in the existing communication system or in the future communication system The corresponding nodes of AN, UPF or AMF should not be limited.

In some examples, the UE actively returning to the connected state may include the UE performing a registration area update (eg, entering a new registration area). In this case, the device shown in FIG. 4 may further include a session establishment assistance module 440 for assisting in establishing a user plane session between the UE and the updated registration area, so as to utilize the established user plane session to send the cached data.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a second node for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the second node includes a notification receiving module 510 .

The notification receiving module 510 is configured to receive a notification indicating that the downlink data to be sent to a user equipment (UE) in a non-connected state has been buffered at the first node.

The above-mentioned notification may be the information element "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)", "Access node buffered data indication (AN buffered data indication)" sent in the corresponding message or any message or information that can realize similar functions. Not limited by the specific implementation form.

Optionally, the second node may include a paging initiation determining module 520 . The paging initiation determining module 520 is configured to determine not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state based on the notification.

Optionally, the paging initiation determining module 520 is further configured to: determine to send the buffered data to the UE in the non-connected state based on the occurrence of a predefined event. Among them, the predefined event may include but not limited to at least one of the following: the UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes immediate transmission (such as high-priority data for the UE), and the predefined timer expires , and the predefined cache data limit has been reached.

In some examples, the notification is received by the notification receiving module 510 from the first node via the third node. The notification receiving module 510 is further configured to: receive a message from the third node including an information element indicating the forwarding data channel address of the first node.

In some examples, the device shown in FIG. 5 may further include a sending module 540, configured to: send to other second nodes a message including information elements indicating that the first node buffers data and/or indicate the forwarding data channel of the first node The message of the information element of the address is forwarded by the other second node to the other third node.

In some examples, the other second node may be a second node to which the UE is connected when updating the registration area, and the message sent to the other second node including an information element indicating that the first node caches data may be It is used to trigger other second nodes to initiate a packet data unit (PDU) session context creation process.

In some examples, the first node may be a User Plane Function (UPF), the second node and the other second nodes may be an Access Mobility Management Function (AMF), and the third node and the other third node May be a Session Management Function (SMF). However, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the first node, the second node, and the third node may also be corresponding nodes that perform similar functions in an existing communication system or a future communication system, instead of It should be limited to UPF, AMF or SMF.

In some examples, the UE actively returning to the connected state may include the UE performing a registration area update (eg, entering a new registration area). In this case, the device shown in FIG. 5 may further include a session establishment assistance module 530, configured to assist in establishing a user plane session between the UE and the updated registration area; to use the established user plane session to send the cached data.

In the following, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be respectively described for two cases where the first node is a UPF and an AN. It should be noted that the following descriptions are only specific examples for implementing the implementation of the present invention, and should not be regarded as limiting the protection scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, although a specific message/message name is used as an example to illustrate the specific implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, it should be realized that in other implementations, existing messages or messages with different names can also be used. Even new messages are used to implement the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by specific messages/message names.

When the UE enters the CM-IDLE state, when the UPF receives the downlink data for the UE, the UPF can decide whether to temporarily cache the data on the UPF without the instruction of the SMF (when the UE is not expected to rebuild the plane) . But the UPF still needs to send a DDN to the SMF to notify the SMF that there is data cached on the UPF. SMF also needs to notify AMF that data is cached on UPF. At this time, the AMF may not start the Paging process. In this case, the downlink data is buffered on the UPF while the UE stays in the CM-IDLE state.

When the UE enters the RRC-INACTIVE state and the AN receives downlink data for the UE, the AN may decide to cache the data on the AN without initiating the RAN Paging process. In this case, the downlink data is buffered on the AN, while the UE continues to stay in the RRC-INACTIVE state.

The above method reduces the number of times the UE is woken up by Paging signaling to re-enter the CM-CONNECTED state after entering the CM-IDLE state by keeping the UE in a non-connected state (for example, CM-IDLE state or RRC-INACTIVE state), and/or Or reduce the number of times the UE is awakened by the RAN Paging process to re-enter the RRC-CONNECTED state after entering the RRC-INACTIVE state, so as to achieve the purpose of energy saving at the UE.

The method provided in the embodiment of this application may include one or more of the following operations:

1. UPF decides to cache data on UPF temporarily, and sends DDN to SMF, and adds information element (IE) "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)" to DDN signaling to notify SMF that downlink data is cached on UPF.

2. The SMF can use the N11 signaling to notify the AMF that downlink data is buffered on the UPF. Specifically expressed as adding an IE "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)" to the N11 signaling sent from the SMF to the AMF. The N11 signaling may be Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer Response.

3. The AMF can use the N14 signaling between different AMFs to notify another AMF that downlink data is buffered on the UPF. Specifically expressed as adding an IE "Gateway buffered data indication (Gateway buffered data indication)" in the N14 signaling sent from the AMF to another AMF. The N14 signaling may be Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer Response.

4. The SMF can use the N11 signaling to notify the AMF of the forwarding data channel address of the relevant UPF. Specifically, it is expressed as adding an IE "CN forwarding tunnel information (CN forwarding tunnel information)" to the N11 signaling sent from the SMF to the AMF. The N11 signaling may be Nsmf_PDUSession_Create SMContext Response.

5. The AMF can use the N14 signaling between different AMFs to notify the forwarding data channel address of the relevant UPF. A specific expression is to add an IE "core network forwarding tunnel information (CN forwarding tunnel information)" to the N14 signaling sent from the AMF to another AMF. The N14 signaling may be Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer or Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer Response.

6. The AMF can use the N11 signaling to notify the SMF of the forwarding data channel address of the relevant UPF. A specific expression is to add an IE "core network forwarding tunnel information (CN forwarding tunnel information)" to the N11 signaling sent from the AMF to the SMF. The N11 signaling may be Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext or Nsmf_PDUSession_Update SMContext Response.

7. If the downlink data is buffered on the UPF and the UE is still in the CM-IDLE state, when a predefined event occurs, according to the existing mechanism, the UPF notifies the SMF, and the SMF notifies the AMF, and the AMF initiates the Paging process. The predefined events include, but are not limited to, the UE actively returns to the CM-CONNECTED state, or the UPF decides to act immediately according to the existing mechanism due to new downlink data, or the predefined timer expires, or the predefined buffer data is reached upper limit.

8. The cell "Flow Priority" may be added to the GTP-U packet header of the downlink data. The UPF may use the information element to indicate the importance of the data carried in the data packet to the UE. The AN can decide whether to initiate the RAN Paging process immediately according to the information element. As mentioned above, any other feasible way is also possible.

9. The AN can use the N2 signaling to notify the AMF that downlink data is buffered on the AN. Specifically expressed as adding an IE "access node buffered data indication (AN buffered data indication)" to the N2 signaling sent from the AN to the AMF. The N2 signaling may be UE Notification.

10. The AMF can use the N14 signaling between different AMFs to notify another AMF that downlink data is buffered on the AN. Specifically expressed as adding an IE "AN buffered data indication (ANbuffered data indication)" in the N14 signaling sent from the AMF to another AMF. The N14 signaling may be Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer Response.

11. If the downlink data is buffered on the AN and the UE is still in the RRC-INACTIVE state, when a predefined event occurs, the AN can initiate the RAN Paging process according to the existing mechanism. The predefined events include, but are not limited to, that the UE actively returns to the RRC-CONNECTED state, or the AN decides to act immediately according to the existing mechanism due to new downlink data, or the predefined timer expires, or the predefined buffer data limit is reached .

The above operation is only a specific example provided to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should not be regarded as limiting the protection scope of the present invention. For example, when there is no switching between AMF and SMF in the communication system, the above operations 3, 5, 10, etc. may also not be included. For example, in some specific implementations, the above operations 7, 11, etc. may also be omitted. For example, operations 1-6 and operations 7-11 may be performed in any relative order as the case may be.

After the AN and UPF buffer the data and the AN or AMF decides not to send the paging message, the buffered data can be sent to the UE on the occurrence of some predefined events as described above. As an example of the UE actively returning to the connected state, the UE may enter a new registration area, and a registration area update occurs. The specific process of sending the buffered data to the UE will be described below by taking the case where the registration area of the UE is updated as an example. It should be noted that the following examples are only specific examples for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and should not be regarded as limiting the protection scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1 describes the situation that when the UE is in the CM-IDLE state, the UPF receives downlink data, but the AMF decides not to start the Paging process, and the UE enters a new registration area. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the UE is assigned to a new AMF, a new SMF, and a new UPF, and the original SMF and the new SMF can communicate. FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show a schematic flowchart of a specific implementation of a method for sending data according to an embodiment of the present invention in this situation. As shown in Figure 6A and Figure 6B, this specific implementation includes the following steps:

Step 601: After the UE enters the CM-IDLE state, the original UPF receives downlink data. The original UPF decides to cache the downlink data. The original UPF sends a data indication to the original SMF, and the message carries the relevant session ID and the data indication cached by the gateway, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 602: The original SMF sends a data indication response to the original UPF.

Step 603: The original SMF sends the N1N2 message on the AMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the relevant session ID and gateway cache data indication, but not limited to these contents.

Step 604: The original AMF sends an N1N2 message delivery response on the AMF interface to the original SMF.

Step 605: UE moves to a new registration area in CM-IDLE state. The UE sends a registration request to the new AMF through the AN.

Step 606: The new AMF sends the UE context transfer on the AMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the aforementioned registration request, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 607: The original AMF sends a UE context transfer response on the AMF interface to the new AMF. The message should carry mobility management context and SMF information, but not limited to these contents. The SMF information should carry the relevant session ID and gateway cache data indication, but not limited to these contents.

Step 608: The UE completes identity authentication, authentication, security, UDM-related, PCF-related and other processes. It can be noticed here that the arrow on the right side of step 608 does not point to a specific network entity. In this document, such an indication means that there may be network entities not shown in the figure participating in this step.

Step 609: The new AMF sends a registration acceptance to the UE through the AN.

Step 610: The UE sends the registration completion to the new AMF through the AN.

Step 611: The new AMF sends a PDU session context creation request on the SMF interface to the new SMF. The creation request is sent based on the gateway cache data indication received by the new AMF from the original AMF, and thus initiates a PDU session context creation process.

Step 612: The new SMF sends a PDU session context creation response on the SMF interface to the new AMF.

Step 613: The new SMF sends the N4 interface session establishment request to the new UPF.

Step 614: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session establishment response to the new SMF. The message should carry CN channel information, but not limited to these contents. The CN channel information is allocated by the new UPF.

Step 615: The new SMF sends the PDU session update on the SMF interface to the original SMF. The message should carry the aforementioned CN channel information, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 616: The original SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the original UPF. The message should carry the aforementioned CN channel information, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 617: The original UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the original SMF. The message should carry CN channel information, but not limited to these contents. The CN channel information is allocated by the original UPF.

Step 618: The original SMF sends a PDU session update response on the SMF interface to the new SMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 619: The new SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the new UPF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 620: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session modification request response to the new SMF.

Step 621: The new SMF sends the N1N2 message on the AMF interface to the new AMF.

Step 622: The new AMF sends a N1N2 message delivery response on the AMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 623: The new AMF sends an N2 interface PDU session resource setting request to the AN.

Step 624: UE and AN complete the RRC connection reconfiguration process.

Step 625: AN sends N2 interface PDU session resource setting response to the new AMF.

Step 626: The new AMF sends a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 627: The new SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the new UPF.

Step 628: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the new SMF.

Step 629: The new SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the new AMF. At this time, the downlink data buffered by the original UPF can be transmitted to the UE through the new UPF and the AN.

Embodiment 2 describes the situation that when the UE is in the CM-IDLE state, the UPF receives downlink data, but the AMF decides not to start the Paging process, and the UE enters a new registration area. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the UE is assigned to a new AMF, a new SMF, and a new UPF, and the original SMF and the new SMF cannot communicate. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show a schematic flowchart of another specific implementation of the method for sending data according to the embodiment of the present invention in this situation. As shown in Figure 7A and Figure 7B, this specific implementation includes the following steps:

Step 701: After the UE enters the CM-IDLE state, the original UPF receives downlink data. The original UPF decides to cache the downlink data. The original UPF sends a data instruction to the original SMF, and the message should carry the relevant session ID and the gateway cache data instruction, but not limited to these contents.

Step 702: The original SMF sends a data indication response to the original UPF.

Step 703: The original SMF sends the N1N2 message on the AMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the relevant session ID and gateway cache data indication, but not limited to these contents.

Step 704: The original AMF sends an N1N2 message delivery response on the AMF interface to the original SMF.

Step 705: UE moves to a new registration area in CM-IDLE state. The UE sends a registration request to the new AMF through the AN.

Step 706: The new AMF sends the UE context transfer on the AMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the aforementioned registration request, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 707: The original AMF sends a UE context transfer response on the AMF interface to the new AMF. The message should carry mobility management context and SMF information, but not limited to these contents. The SMF information should carry the relevant session ID and gateway cache data indication, but not limited to these contents.

Step 708: The UE completes identity authentication, authentication, security, UDM-related, PCF-related and other processes.

Step 709: The new AMF sends a registration acceptance to the UE through the AN.

Step 710: The UE sends the registration completion to the new AMF through the AN.

Step 711: The new AMF sends a PDU session context creation request on the SMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 712: The new SMF sends an N4 interface session establishment request to the new UPF.

Step 713: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session establishment response to the new SMF. The message should carry CN channel information, but not limited to these contents. The CN channel information is allocated by the new UPF.

Step 714: The new SMF sends a PDU session context creation response on the SMF interface to the new AMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 715: The new AMF sends the UE context transfer on the AMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 716: The original AMF sends a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the original SMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 717: The original SMF sends the N4 interface session modification request to the original UPF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 718: The original UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the original SMF. The message should carry CN channel information, but not limited to these contents. The CN channel information is allocated by the original UPF.

Step 719: The original SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 720: The original AMF sends a UE context transfer response on the AMF interface to the new AMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 721: The new AMF sends a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the new SMF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 722: The new SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the new UPF. The message should carry the CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 723: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the new SMF.

Step 724: The new SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the new AMF.

Step 725: The new SMF sends the N1N2 message on the AMF interface to the new AMF.

Step 726: The new AMF sends a N1N2 message delivery response on the AMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 727: The new AMF sends the N2 interface PDU session resource setting request to the AN.

Step 728: UE and AN complete the RRC connection reconfiguration process.

Step 729: AN sends N2 interface PDU session resource setting response to the new AMF.

Step 730: The new AMF sends a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 731: The new SMF sends an N4 interface session modification request to the new UPF.

Step 732: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the new SMF.

Step 733: The new SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the new AMF. At this time, the downlink data buffered by the original UPF can be transmitted to the UE through the new UPF and the AN.

Embodiment 3 describes the situation that when the UE is in the RRC-INACTIVE state, the AN receives downlink data, but the AN decides not to start the RAN Paging process, and the UE enters a new registration area. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the UE is connected to a new AN and allocated to a new AMF, a new SMF and a new UPF. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B show a schematic flowchart of another specific implementation of the method for sending data according to the embodiment of the present invention in this situation. As shown in Figure 8A and Figure 8B, this specific implementation includes the following steps:

Step 801: UE is in RRC-INACTIVE state, AN receives downlink data, but AN decides not to start RANPaging procedure. The AN caches the downlink data.

Step 802: UE enters a new registration area in RRC-INACTIVE state. The UE sends a registration request to the new AMF through the AN.

Step 803: The new AMF sends the UE context transfer on the AMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the aforementioned registration request, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 804: The original AMF sends N2 interface signaling to the original AN. The N2 interface signaling may be a UE State Transition Notification Request (UE State Transition Notification Request).

Step 805: the original AN sends N2 interface signaling to the original AMF. The N2 interface signaling may be a UE notification (UENotification). The message should carry the access node cache data indication, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 806: The original AMF sends the UE context transfer response on the AMF interface to the new AMF. The message should carry mobility management context and SMF information, but not limited to these contents. The SMF information should carry the relevant session ID and the caching data indication of the access node, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 807: The UE completes identity authentication, authentication, security, UDM-related, PCF-related and other processes.

Step 808: The new AMF sends a registration acceptance to the UE through the AN.

Step 809: the UE sends the registration completion to the new AMF through the AN.

Step 810: After step 806, the original AMF may send a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the original SMF.

Step 811: The original SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the original UPF.

Step 812: The original UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the original SMF. The message should carry the data channel information for the N3 interface allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 813: The original SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the original AMF. The message should carry the data channel information for the N3 interface allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 814: The original AMF sends N2 interface signaling to the original AN. The message may be an N2 interface PDU session resource modification request. The message should carry the data channel information for the N3 interface allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 815: the original AN sends N2 interface signaling to the original AMF. The message may be an N2 interface PDU session resource modification response. At this time, the original AN can send the buffered downlink data to the original UPF.

Step 816: After step 806, the new AMF sends a PDU session context creation request on the SMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 817: The new SMF sends a PDU session context creation response on the SMF interface to the new AMF.

Step 818: The new SMF sends an N4 interface session establishment request to the new UPF.

Step 819: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session establishment response to the new SMF. The message should carry data channel information and CN channel information facing the N3 interface, but is not limited to these contents. The data channel information and CN channel information facing the N3 interface are allocated by the new UPF.

Step 820: The new SMF sends the PDU session update on the SMF interface to the original SMF. The message should carry CN channel information allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 821: The original SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the original UPF. The message should carry CN channel information allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 822: The original UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the original SMF. The message should carry CN channel information, but not limited to these contents. The CN channel information is allocated by the original UPF.

Step 823: The original SMF sends a PDU session update response on the SMF interface to the new SMF. The message should carry CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 824: The new SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the new UPF. The message should carry CN channel information allocated by the original UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 825: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the new SMF. At this time, the original UPF may forward the aforementioned cached data to the new UPF.

Step 826: The new SMF sends the N1N2 message on the AMF interface to the new AMF. The message should carry the data channel information for the N3 interface allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 827: The new AMF sends a N1N2 message delivery response on the AMF interface to the new SMF.

Step 828: The new AMF sends the N2 interface PDU session resource setting request to the new AN. The message should carry the data channel information for the N3 interface allocated by the new UPF, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 829: UE and AN complete the RRC connection reconfiguration process.

Step 830: The new AN sends an N2 interface PDU session resource setting response to the new AMF. The message should carry the data channel information allocated by the new AN for the N3 interface, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 831: The new AMF may send a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the new SMF. The message should carry the data channel information allocated by the new AN for the N3 interface, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 832: The new SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the new UPF. The message should carry the data channel information allocated by the new AN for the N3 interface, but is not limited to these contents.

Step 833: The new UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the new SMF. At this time, the data buffered by the aforementioned new UPF can be transmitted to the UE through the new AN.

Step 834: The new SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the new AMF.

Step 835: When a predefined event occurs, the original AN may send a UE context release request on the N2 interface to the original AMF. The predefined event may be that the original AN finishes forwarding the data buffered in the original AN or a preset timer expires.

Step 836: The original AMF may send the N2 interface UE context release command to the original AN.

Step 837: The original AN may send the N2 interface UE context release completion to the original AMF.

Step 838: The original AMF may send a PDU session context update request on the SMF interface to the original SMF.

Step 839: The original SMF sends a N4 interface session modification request to the original UPF.

Step 840: The original UPF sends an N4 interface session modification response to the original SMF.

Step 841: The original SMF sends a PDU session context update response on the SMF interface to the original AMF.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a block diagram of a device 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Device 900 includes a processor 910, such as a digital signal processor (DSP). The processor 910 may be a single device or a plurality of devices for performing different actions according to embodiments of the present invention. Device 900 may also include input/output (I/O) means 930 for receiving signals from or sending signals to other entities.

Furthermore, device 900 includes memory 920, which may be in the form of non-volatile or volatile memory, such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or the like. The memory 920 stores computer-readable instructions, and when the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor 910, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to execute the method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art can understand that the methods shown above are only exemplary. The method of the present invention is not limited to the steps and sequence shown above. The device shown above may include more modules, for example, may also include modules that have been developed or will be developed in the future and can be used for a base station or a UE, and so on. The various identifiers shown above are only exemplary rather than restrictive, and the present invention is not limited to specific information elements as examples of these identifiers. Numerous variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art in light of the teachings of the illustrated embodiments.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, various components inside the device in the above embodiments can be realized by various devices, including but not limited to: analog circuit devices, digital circuit devices, digital signal processing (DSP) circuits, programmable processors, dedicated Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and more.

In this application, "base station" refers to a mobile communication data and control switching center with relatively large transmission power and wide coverage area, including functions such as resource allocation and scheduling, and data reception and transmission. "User equipment" refers to a user mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone, a notebook, and other terminal equipment capable of wireless communication with a base station or a micro base station.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein may be implemented on a computer program product. More specifically, the computer program product is a product having a computer-readable medium encoded with computer program logic that, when executed on a computing device, provides associated operations to implement Above-mentioned technical scheme of the present invention. When executed on at least one processor of a computing system, the computer program logic causes the processor to execute the operations (methods) described in the embodiments of the present invention. Such arrangements of the invention are typically provided as software, code and/or other data structures arranged or encoded on a computer-readable medium such as an optical medium (e.g., CD-ROM), floppy disk, or hard disk, or as one or more other media of firmware or microcode on a ROM or RAM or PROM chip, or a downloadable software image in one or more modules, a shared database, etc. Software or firmware or such configurations can be installed on the computing device, so that one or more processors in the computing device execute the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present invention.

Although the present invention has been illustrated in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited by the above-described embodiments, but by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (18)

1. A method for sending data performed at a first node, comprising: receiving downlink data to be sent to a user equipment UE in a non-connected state; determining whether to cache the downlink data; and When it is determined to cache the downlink data: If the first node is a node of the first type, determining not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state, or If the first node is a node of the second type, notify the second node that the downlink data has been buffered, so that the second node determines not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether to cache the downlink data comprises: determining whether to cache the downlink data based on the priority of the downlink data, Wherein, if the downlink data is high-priority data, it is determined not to cache but to send the downlink data immediately, and if the downlink data is not high-priority data, it is determined to cache the downlink data. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to send the buffered data to the UE in the unconnected state based on the occurrence of a predefined event, Wherein, the predefined event includes at least one of the following: The UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes an immediate transmission, A predefined timer expires, and The predefined cache data limit has been reached. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the first node is a node of the first type, after determining to cache the downlink data, the first node also notifies the second node of the cached The downlink data. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the notification to the second node carries an information element indicating that the first node caches data. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein notifying the second node that the downlink data has been cached comprises: sending a message carrying an information element indicating that the first node caches data to a third node, so that the third node notifies the second node that the first node caches data. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first type of node is an access node AN, the second type of node is a user plane function entity UPF, the second node is an access mobility management function entity AMF, and the third node is a session management function entity SMF . 8. A method for sending data, performed at a second node, comprising: A notification indicating that downlink data to be sent to a user equipment UE in a non-connected state has been buffered at the first node is received. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: Based on the notification, it is determined not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining to send the buffered data to the UE in the unconnected state based on the occurrence of a predefined event, Wherein, the predefined event includes at least one of the following: The UE actively returns to the connected state, the occurrence of downlink data that causes an immediate transmission, A predefined timer expires, and The predefined cache data limit has been reached. 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the notification is received from the first node via a third node, the method further comprising: A message including an information element indicating a forwarding data channel address of the first node is received from the third node. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: sending to other second nodes a message including an information element indicating that the first node caches data and/or a message indicating an information element of the forwarding data channel address of the first node, so as to be forwarded to by the other second node other third nodes. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the other second node is a second node to which the UE is connected when updating a registration area, and the information sent to the other second node includes indicating that the first The message of the information element of the node buffering data is used to trigger the other second node to initiate a PDU session context creation process. 14. The method of any one of claims 10-13, wherein, The first node is a user plane function entity UPF, the second node and the other second nodes are access mobility management function entities AMF, and the third node and the other third nodes are session management function entities SMF. 15. A first node for sending data, comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive downlink data to be sent to a user equipment UE in a non-connected state; A data cache determination module, configured to determine whether to cache the downlink data; and A paging initiation determination module, configured to: when determining to buffer the downlink data: If the first node is a node of the first type, determining not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state, or If the first node is a node of the second type, notify the second node that the downlink data has been buffered, so that the second node determines not to initiate a paging procedure for the UE in the unconnected state. 16. A second node for sending data, comprising: The notification receiving module is configured to receive a notification indicating that the downlink data to be sent to the user equipment UE in the unconnected state has been buffered at the first node. 17. A device for sending data comprising: processor; and A memory configured to store machine-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-7 or 8-14. 18. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or 8 to 14. method.